From Foreign Waters

  A tiny radioactive capsule, about the size of a pea, has the Australian government on edge. It is believed to have fallen off a truck while being transported between a mine and the city of Perth - a distance longer than the length of Great Britain - a couple of weeks ago. In order to expand the frantic search that is underway for the lost capsule, nothing short of finding a needle in a haystack, Australia's Department of Fire and Emergency Services has brought in new radiation detection equipment that could be fitted to vehicles. The deadly device is expected to have fallen off somewhere along the 1,400-km-long path the truck took. The capsule is part of a density gauge. It is composed of Cesium-137 (Cs-137) and reportedly has the capacity to emit radiation equivalent to receiving ten X-rays in an hour. Scientists have raised warnings against the device, saying it could cause skin burns and prolonged exposure could cause cancer. Vibrations from the truck possibly caused the

  Last year, the government set a quota for hiring Emiratis in the private sector. Companies with more than 50 employees were required to have Emiratis form 2 per cent of their workforce by the start of this year. Figures released this month showed that 28,700 Emiratis have taken jobs at private companies since the launch of the Nafis programme, which provides a monthly salary top-up of Dh5,000 to Dh,7000.  Why is it acceptable for an Emirati to stand at a food stall selling food at an exhibition but not in a shop selling clothes?” She went through a divorce prior to that, but says she came out stronger and now takes care of her four children. She said the first question she is asked by Emirati customers is if she is the owner of the shop. “But when they find out that I’m a sales lady, they ask me again if I am an Emirati,” she said. “And then comes shock and pity and the question we are all asked: 'Why are you doing this?'”   “My children are proud of me. It would mean the w

     Blackpink in UAE !!!!! The four-member K-pop band, which consists of Jennie, Jisoo, Rose and Lisa, hosted an entertaining two-hour set as they brought their  Born Pink world tour  to Etihad Park on Saturday, performing in front of tens of thousands of excited fans who waited hours to see the band live.  Members also had time to show off their vocal prowess with solo performances as Jisoo sang a sultry cover of Camila Cabello’s  Liar , while Jennie performed  You & Me . Rose sang a mix of her two solo tracks,  Hard to Love  and  On The Ground . Lisa brought back the energy with  Lalisa  and  Money .  During the final moments, the band also celebrated Rose's birthday early, presenting her with a cake and giving her well-wishes before spectacular fireworks went off   as the members charmed the crowds by saying “thank you” in Korean and Arabic  

  The Philippine representative in the nine-team tournament seized control behind a blistering second quarter rally but still had to fend off a last-ditch run from the locals to prevail in the game much to the delight of a good-sized Filipino crowd in the venue. But not Strong Group coach Charles Tiu and the very young team owner Jacob Lao. Tiu actually blamed himself for the team’s modest finish. “It was an ugly win for us,” Tiu said. “I take responsibility and apologized to my team for taking my imports out a little early.” “I thought we had the game in the bag up 14 in the last 2 minutes, and I was thinking ahead wanting to rest our imports for the game tomorrow,” Tiu added. Refusing to go down without a fight, UAE unleashed a fiery 11-0 run inside the final three minutes of the game that cut the once 16-point deficit (90-74) down to just three, 90-87 with 20 seconds left. Good thing Filipino-American Sedrick Barefiel was there and he split his charities in the dying seconds to fi

  Did you know that UAE the first country in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to sign and ratify the Paris Agreement in 2016, announced the UAE net-zero 2050 initiative in October 2021?   In  Net-Zero 2050 is being led by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, which is collaborating with all industries and authorities at different government levels responsible for conducting studies to introduce measures to reduce emissions, to ensure the effective execution of the Net-Zero 2050 initiative  Clean energy projects : The UAE has been investing in clean energy projects for the past 15 years. In 2017, the UAE launched its ‘Energy Strategy 2050’ that aims to increase the contribution of clean energy in the total energy production from 25 percent to 50 percent by 2050 and reduce the carbon footprint of power generation by 70 percent. This strategy contemplates a mix of energy – ranging from 44 percent clean energy, 38 percent gas, 12 percent clean coal and 6 percent nuclear energy

  Zayed University, one of three federal universities in the UAE, has always sought to innovate and invest in its students. At its campuses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi thousands of UAE nationals have benefited from this pioneering spirit. Staying ahead of the curve and constantly innovating, has been vital to the success of the university. As it enters its 25th year, the institution remains as future focused as ever. “We recognise that the private sector will be crucial to the growth of the UAE over the next 50 years,” says Dr Michael Allen, Acting Provost and Chief Academic Officer, “so a fundamental objective of our new strategy is to improve the employment prospects of our students.” Around the world a disconnect has emerged between education and employment. A study by Bloomberg in 2018 found that 65% of corporates and 56% of academic institutions believed that graduates were ill-prepared in some way when they left University. Globally, universities are implementing new policies to try

  According to officials, the number of daily Covid-19 deaths in China has decreased by over 80% since the beginning of the month, which is a hint that the unheard-of infection surge may be beginning to slow down. Since Beijing abruptly abandoned its zero-Covid policy last month, a wave of virus outbreaks has swept across the country with the largest population in the world. Given China's strict definition of a Covid death and official estimations that large segments of the population have been infected, Beijing's figures are thought to only be a small portion of the total toll. The CDC had reported that over 60,000 people had passed away from the virus in hospitals, but last week they added an additional almost 13,000 deaths from Covid-related infections between January 13 and January 19. Although the wave peaked in late December and early January, when hospitals and crematoriums were full, recent local government pronouncements and media reports suggest that the wave may hav

  However, you have already seen how much politics used Pakistan, its people, and resources, perhaps too eagerly and badly too! I am starting this blog by saying that politics will certainly consume the people and time of Pakistan in this year of 2023 as they did in previous years. The signals are stating the same. You may remember how Imran Khan was thrown out of power. Dramatically and with that again a wave of instability in politics spread over Pakistan. I recall that the Last spring didn't end with a dramatic no-confidence vote in parliament last April. But the game has not ended with the drop of Imran khan from power, instead, it outraged the instability and polarization in the whole region of Pakistan. The Ex-PM of Pakistan Mr. Khan has led an opposition movement against the government of Pakistan. The current ally of the government in Pakistan and the military is facing a high rage of protest and opposition large rallies across the region of the country since the las

  Mohammed Al Shorafa was made chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport. He was previously chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development. Mansour Al Mansouri will serve as chairman of the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi. He was director general of the National Media Council, among other roles. Ahmed Al Kuttab was made chairman of the Department of Government Support. He is a senior director at Adnoc, among other roles. 

  China has started a push to purge the internet of "vulgar" and "unhealthy" material. According to South China Morning Post, the month-long campaign was started just before the Lunar New Year, which started on January 22. (SCMP). The outlet added that the nation's internet watchdog is specifically focusing on footage that features scantily clad women posing in various locales and past offenders submitting material about their time in prison. The Chinese cyberspace authority issued a directive in this regard on January 18. According to the SCMP article, the crackdown intends to "control the development of bad culture, defend the benefits and rights of online users, clean up the online ecosystem, and establish a favourable, civilised, and healthy climate in public opinion." In order to limit the transmission of information throughout the New Year holiday period, the nation's internet censors are examining the home pages of important websites,

  According to the UAE ’s minister of state for foreign trade Thani Al-Zeyoudi  Crypto will play a “major role” in the United Arab Emirates' global trade moving forward  UAE works on its crypto regulatory regime, the focus will be on making the  Gulf country a hub  with crypto-friendly policies that also have sufficient protections in place  The principles outline a friendly stance towards crypto while also pledging to comply with international standards in Anti-Money Laundering (AML), combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) and supporting financial sanctions. The UAE’s minister of state for artificial intelligence and the digital economy, Omar Sultan Al Olama also appeared at the World Economic Forum as part of a crypto-focused panel on Jan. 19. Al Olama noted that while the FTX debacle was a major concern, the UAE still wants to be a hub despite the whole ordeal.

  Borge Brende, President of the WEF, announced that the organisation will work with the  UAE Cop28 presidency   "to accelerate public-private solutions for climate and nature" ahead of the climate conference in November. Mr Brende, a former Norwegian minister of foreign affairs, said "multi-stakeholder action has never been more needed" while announcing the partnership on social media on Friday.  The UAE in October 2021 set out an ambitious strategic initiative to eliminate carbon emissions by 2050. The net-zero plan will involve Dh600 billion ($163.37 billion) being invested in clean and renewable energy sources in the next three decades. The Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, in Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi, is a key pillar of this long-term vision. Once fully operational, it will provide 25 per cent of the UAE's electricity needs without carbon emissions. In November, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, revealed plans to make public transport in

  The incoming Presidency of the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Dubai Cares, a UAE ( United Arab Emirates ) based global philanthropic organisation, have joined hands to work on climate education outcomes on the sidelines of COP28.  The COP28 is scheduled to take place at Expo City, Dubai, from November 30 to December 12 2023. The partnership between COP28 UAE Presidency and Dubai Cares aims to boost and strengthen education's role in climate action. Dubai Cares will reportedly host the second edition of the RewirEd Summit, the global education cooperation platform, with a focus on climate action education. With this partnership, Dubai Cares aims to support the UAE’s efforts for climate action by uniting education and climate actors. The summit would help to transform the education systems in order to mitigate climate challenges The announcement was made on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s

  In a close encounter that went into extra time, Iraq took the lead through midfielder Ibrahim Bayesh in the 24th minute. Ten minutes into added time in normal time, Omani midfielder Salaah Al Yahyaei equalised from the penalty spot, sending the match into extra time. Midfielder Amjad Attwan put Iraq ahead after 116 minutes with another penalty but Omani striker Omar Al Malki pulled level three minutes later with a header. Iraqi defender Manaf Younis scored the winning goal two minutes into added time of extra time. فرح العراق اليوم بعد طول صبر وانتظار وفرحت معه الشعوب والقلوب ..كلنا اليوم عراقيين في الفرحة.. كلنا اليوم عراقيين في الانتصار ..مبروك كأس الخليج العربي يا أهلنا وأحبابنا .. وشكراً أهل البصرة وأهل العراق على حسن التنظيم والاستضافة .. pic.twitter.com/X6SfEOebqp — HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) January 19, 2023

   A new unit was discussed at a Military Health Conference held on Tuesday, which brought together various stakeholders from government and private sectors in the UAE , and commanding officers from countries such as the US and Saudi Arabia. Speaking at the conference, Mohammed Al Bawardi, Minister of State for Defence Affairs, said the event had drawn "expertise from across the globe to discuss and exchange knowledge on some of the most important military healthcare issues of our time”. “We live in uncertain times and the requirement to service the health needs of members of the Armed Forces and civilians in affected areas has never been greater,” he said. “Thankfully, technological innovations are assisting in the effective provision of such services in order to save more lives, and the Emirates' Military Health Conference is the perfect platform to learn about such advancements and more.”  “Our aim is to built a state-of-the-art trauma centre in the UAE, to be integrated wi

  Yoon Suk Yeol, President of the Republic of Korea, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan today visited the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in Al Dhafra, Abu Dhabi, UAE , to celebrate the completion of Unit 3 and see how the plant is progressing. The recent signing of a number of government-level agreements and the Presidential visit is part of efforts to strengthen the Special Strategic Partnership between the UAE and South Korea. The Barakah Plant, the first civil nuclear energy plant in the Arab World and the biggest source of clean electricity in the area, was commended by the two leaders for its extraordinary accomplishments over the course of more than a decade. The Barakah Plant, which produces clean, zero-emission electricity and sustainably powers the UAE, was visited by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Yoon. The two leaders observed the continued operation of Units 1 and 2, the completion of Unit 3, and the advancements made on Unit 4 in order to hasten the UAE&

  After the country's deadliest plane crash in thirty years, which left at least 70 people dead, searchers employed drones and rappelled down a 200-meter-deep valley in west Nepa l on Tuesday to look for two passengers still missing. The Yeti Airlines ATR 72 turboprop carrying 72 people crashed in clear weather on Sunday just before landing. Difficult terrain and bad weather made rescue efforts difficult close to the tourist resort of Pokhara. "There is a lot of fog right now. We are sending search and rescue teams with ropes down the gorge where the plane's debris landed and caught fire "Ajay K.C., a Pokhara police official involved in the rescue operations,” said to Reuters. On Monday, two more bodies were found by searchers before they had to abandon the effort due to low light. "The passengers included young children. Some may have died from burns and gone undiscovered. We'll keep looking for them "said K.C. Television broadcasts featured i

    UAE and US  said they would allocate $20 billion to fund 15 new gigawatts of  clean and renewable energy projects  in the US before 2035, in the first wave of investment under their  $100 billion clean energy partnership .  also announced the formation of an expert group to govern Pace, led by  Dr Sultan Al Jaber , President-designate of  Cop28  and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Amos Hochstein, US special presidential co-ordinator for global infrastructure and energy security.   “ Already one of the world’s largest renewable energy investors and developers, the UAE is joining forces with the US under Pace to supercharge a just energy transition, enhance energy security and demonstrate that climate action can unlock economic opportunities,” said Dr Al Jaber, who is also chairman of Masdar, and managing director and group chief executive of Adnoc.

Kentucky has joined more than 20 other states in prohibiting the widely used video app TikTok from being used on official devices due to security concerns. The state claimed to have amended its employee handbook to forbid state personnel from accessing the Chinese-owned app "other than for a law enforcement reason" on government-managed devices. The governors of Wisconsin and North Carolina made proclamations on Thursday prohibiting TikTok use on official equipment. Earlier this week, identical moves were also taken in Arkansas, New Jersey, and Ohio. More states than only TikTok have targeted the app. For instance, the states of New Jersey and Wisconsin have also outlawed suppliers, goods, and services from other Chinese firms like Huawei Technologies, Hikvision, Tencent Holdings, the owner of WeChat, ZTE Corporation, and Kaspersky Lab in Russia. "Disappointed" that "so many states are jumping on the political bandwagon to enact regulations that will do

  Department of Health   announced the milestone number and encouraged more people to sign up for the programme. It said people from different nationalities, backgrounds and ages had signed up. The country launched the National Programme for Organ Donation and Transplantation — or Hayat, which means life — in November. The programme aims to encourage members of the community to sign up to the cause to help improve the quality of life of patients suffering from organ failure. To expand its reach, the emirate's Department of Health, in partnership with public and private entities, has held a series of community events and activities, such as the Zayed Charity Marathon and the Adnoc Abu Dhabi Marathon 2022. In this ,Any person in the UAE who is at least 21 and holds an Emirates ID can register his/her desire to donate their organs in the event they are declared brain dead. After completing the registration, the applicant will receive an electronic donor card.

  The conclusion of a months-long investigation into the catastrophe that left 159 people dead came from South Korea' s police on Friday, who concluded that a lack of planning and an insufficient response were the primary reasons of the tragic Halloween crush in Seoul last year. On October 29, as tens of thousands of young partygoers crammed into tiny alleyways to celebrate the first Halloween without COVID restrictions in three years, the traditional celebrations in the well-known nightlife district of Itaewon turned tragic. According to Sohn Je han, the investigator, authorities, including the police, failed to implement safety measures despite the likelihood of an accident due to the crowded crowds and failed to respond appropriately when pleas for help began to come in. Large casualties were caused by poor situation assessment, information exchange delays, and a lack of collaboration between connected agencies, Sohn told reporters. Notably, 23 people, including the chi